Mona Vale Golf Club: Fence bid to keep out skateboarders accused of abusing players and vandalism

A golf club has called on the council to build a fence to keep out skateboarders from the adjacent park who are being accused of vandalising the course and abusing players.

Skateboarders are being accused of damaging a northern beaches golf course and its property, as well as abusing players, a council meeting heard.

Ross Fleming, president of Mona Vale Golf Club, said in a public letter to Northern Beaches Council, that a fence was needed to keep out the youths who frequented the adjacent Mona Vale Skate Park.

It comes as councillors also discussed a proposed controversial 20-year lease with the club, which would see rent increase by 40 per cent, described by Mr Fleming as “exorbitant”.

Mona Vale Golf Course has been vandalised by youths, according to the president. (AAP IMAGE/Damian Shaw)

“I have recently written to council concerning the ongoing impact to the club of the Mona Vale Skate Park, and the unfettered access into the course by youths associated with this facility, including damage to the course and golf club property, and also confrontations, which have occurred with persons playing golf,” he wrote.

“The club considers the boundary to Kitchener Park needs to be fenced to reduce this direct access, and to limit the impact to the club.”

He said the proposed rental increase would see the club pay an extra $38,843 in its first year, which amounted to a 42 per cent increase.

Youths using Mona Vale Mona Vale Skate Park at Kitchener Park, have been accused to vandalising the adjacent golf course and abusing players. The young people pictured are not accused of any wrong doing. Picture: Annika Enderborg

The club is currently on a five-year discounted lease, due to the short term.

“The club considers this increasingly exorbitant in the current circumstances,” Mr Fleming said.

“Even if the proposed rental is based upon an independent valuation report we ask, what other entity is confronting such a huge rise in rental in one year given the current pandemic circumstances?”

He said the club would like the rental increase to be staged over a 20 year lifespan of the proposed lease, if it is to proceed, or that council undertake to do works associated with the plan that will offset some of the capital expenditure otherwise, facing the club, including paying for a fence to stop youths entering.

Mr Fleming added that the carpark also needed resurfacing and as it is open to both club members and public players it should be covered by the council.

He also said there were concerns around new lease conditions which mean the club would have to implement a bush management plan for land adjacent to the Bicentennial Walkway and the 17th fairway, with estimated costs to the club of $10,000 per annum, or $200,000, over the life of the lease.

Councillors discussed the issue at a meeting last night.

Cr Alex McTaggart said the club was the “lungs of Mona Vale” but there were lots of issues that had to be resolved.

Councillors agreed that they should allow the council CEO Ray Brownlee to negotiate with the club in good faith and then bring it back to council.